


Surprise

by jacquelee



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 07:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13806390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacquelee/pseuds/jacquelee
Summary: Ava has an exciting surprise for Zari. Or so she thinks.Takes place immediately after Return of the Mack.





	Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [monthlysupergo](https://monthlysupergo.dreamwidth.org) for the character madlibs prompt "2 has an exciting surprise for 4" with the characters being Ava and Zari. 
> 
> This ended up only minimally being Zari and Ava together, seeing that while I can see interaction potential in the two, it just didn't work with a surprise being in the picture. At all.

After coming back to the bureau Rip was taken away to be detained. Director Bennett nodded at her curtly and Ava knew this meant she was dismissed. So she went back to her office, trying to seem cold and professional as usual, while the events of the night still swirled around in her head and made her want to scream, or run away or do anything other than just business as usual. 

Of course, she didn't do any of those things. She couldn't. But she knew she wouldn't get any work done right now either, the faces of all those dead agents still edged in her brain, the implications of Rip insisting that she sit out this mission being something she didn't even want to think about and yet her mind went back to it over and over. 

He had known. He had known that this was not just a dangerous mission but a suicidal one. And for some reason that Ava did not even begin to understand, he had valued her life higher than those of all the other agents. Which was something that tore her apart. 

Of course, she was happy to still be alive, but to know that Rip had benched her not because he didn't think she was good enough for a mission like this – which had been her first suspicion when she had heard about his orders – but because he had willingly led those agents to their deaths to satisfy his obsession, something that she had clearly read on his face when they had met again on the Waverider, was nearly too much to bear. 

Who did he think he was, deciding over her life and the lives of others like that? Of course, he was the founding father of the Time Bureau and in that function, Ava had always had the greatest respect for him, but now it seemed like he had completely lost perspective of what was important. 

Which was clearly apparent in the fact that it had been Sara Lance and the other Legends who had saved his life and, albeit too late for far too many agents and too late to stop Damien Darhk from being resurrected, ultimately the day. 

When Miss Lance had contacted her, she had just come back from the scene of the disaster, still feeling the nausea it had caused her to see all those bodies. She had wanted nothing more than to cut Miss Lance off, to tell her to go to hell, that she really had bigger problems right now than the Legends. 

But she hadn't expected what the self appointed leader of the Legends told her, with a seriousness in her eyes that Ava hadn't seen before, not even when she was about to ram her ship. It was that look that had made her listen, made her understand that this truly was Rip's doing, nobody else's. That Rip had failed the bureau, failed the Legends, failed her. 

It was not an easy revelation, even though she had known in her heart already that this was the reason Rip hadn't called in after the mission. The reason he had disappeared. 

Ava despised having to make a deal with the Legends, but as she had told Miss Lance, the bureau truly had bigger things to worry about than them at the moment. Which was in itself a sign that things couldn't get much worse. 

Being on the same side as the Legends, more even, owing them for helping to bring Rip to justice, was not an easy thing for Ava. But it was necessary. And now, as she was on her way to her apartment, she realized that it was also an opportunity. 

An opportunity to do what was right, what she had put off with the very valid excuse of not knowing where the Legends were, an excuse that was no longer valid seeing that she still had the coordinates and if she acted quickly would be able to board the Waverider again easily. 

Making the decision, she quickened her pace. At least maybe this way she could still do something good today. 

*** 

Sara didn't know how much time had passed since Rip had disappeared through the portal. She was still sitting in the parlor, in the same spot that she had been in when the Time Bureau agents had left. Rip's last words echoed in her head and knowing that she betrayed him, even if it was for good reasons, gnawed at her. 

She knew it had been the right thing to do, she knew Rip had been completely out of line and the callous way in which he spoke about the dead agents had only reaffirmed that knowledge. But that didn't particularly make it easier. 

In the end, she had sold out a friend. No matter what he had done, that was still on her. She had to live with that. 

Sighing, Sara rubbed her temples. She had no idea where to go from here. Were they supposed to just carry on, try to repair anachronisms and pretend this had never happened? That Rip had never betrayed them, that she had never sold him out? Was that even possible? Especially with that warning he had uttered before leaving. 

How was she supposed to ready her team for a war that seemed inevitable now that Darhk was alive again and clearly had help from powerful allies? How was she supposed to ready herself? 

A familiar sound interrupted her dark thoughts, a second before Gideon's voice sounded through the bridge. 

"Captain, Agent Sharpe has boarded the Waverider." 

"Thank you, Gideon, I can see that." Indeed, Sara could see the agent strolling onto her ship from the same place in which she had disappeared what seemed like only moments ago. Far too little time for Sara to brace herself, but nevertheless, she got up, squared her shoulders and plastered a calculated smile on her face, speaking in a mock cheerful voice that rang completely false to her. "Agent Sharpe. Don't tell me you already regret letting us off. It's been what, ten minutes?" 

The agent nodded at her curtly.

"Miss Lance." 

That was the moment when Sara noticed that Ava was dragging something, something that looked like a small personal shopping cart, the kind that little old ladies used. 

"Wait, what is that?" Ava seemed to hesitate for a moment and Sara rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Please just tell me, I really can't take any more surprises today." 

"It's… it's about Miss Tomaz."

That did nothing to alleviate Sara's concern, on the contrary, she immediately assumed a defensive stance, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"You are not taking her back to 2042." 

Ava let out something that seemed like a scoff. 

"No, I'm not. You made your standpoint on that very clear." 

Not regretting anything, Sara just smirked and tilted her head a little. 

"So what is this about?" 

Ava took something out of her blazer pocket and gave it to Sara. 

"I have a surprise for Miss Tomaz." 

Looking at the picture Ava had just handed her and then at the cart, Sara started to understand.

"Is that...?" 

She trailed off, not knowing what to say exactly. Ava raised an eyebrow. 

"Indeed."

***

After Amaya had left her quarters, Zari was simply lounging on her sofa, eating Cheetos and playing computer games, enjoying the freedom that being on this ship brought. Finally, she could eat what she wanted and as much as she wanted. She didn't have to run and hide anymore and could just play and lounge around in her room all day. 

It was truly amazing. Of course she still missed her family and was still not over the fact that she couldn't save them, but for the time being, this was the best situation she could have found herself in.

"Miss Tomaz, Captain Lance requests your presence on the bridge." 

Sighing, Zari paused the game. Better check what Sara wanted, getting on the Captain's bad side after just being accepted on board was definitely not something Zari fancied. 

"Thank you, Gideon. I'll be right there." 

When she walked onto the bridge, she saw the Captain standing outside the parlor, looking at something, or rather someone, right in front of her. Coming closer, Zari saw that it was clearly one of those time agents that were trying to put her back into prison. She stopped dead and even took a small step back, right when Sara started talking. 

"Zari, Agent Sharpe here has-" 

"You're not taking me back. No way. I get that Rip deserved to be handed over but I didn't do anything wrong. And I got my totem back." 

Sara held her hands up, seemingly not fazed by Zari interrupting her or by her being immediately this defensive. The agent on the other hand raised an eyebrow at her.

"I see you fit right in here, Miss Tomaz." 

"It's not about that, it's like I said, Agent Sharpe here has a surprise for you." 

"A surprise?" 

"We sent a cleanup crew to 2042, to see if there was anything left to be done in the places you had been and we found something that I hope you will be happy about." 

With that, she busied herself with something that looked like a small luggage cart. Zari had no idea what she meant, but Sara handed her a photograph and smiled at her. 

Looking at the photograph, Zari saw that it was her and her brother, with their family's old cat. What was that supposed to mean? 

Clearly, something she had absolutely not expected, something she had no idea how to react to. Agent Sharpe turned around to her again and this time, she held a cat in her arms, a cat that had supposedly been in the luggage cart. Their cat. 

Zari's heart grew cold. Both women in front of her looked at her happily, even the agent smiling a tight lipped smile, apparently expecting her to be excited or something. 

"What is this? I can't have my family back but you bring me a cat that would be much better off on her own. She was fine there. And I don't want to have a constant reminder of what I lost." 

She couldn't quite hide the tremor in her voice and was sure there were tears in her eyes. But she didn't give a shit anymore. Not right now. Not after all that had happened today. She just turned on her heels and stormed off the bridge, trying to reign in all the emotions that caused turmoil inside of her.

***

After Zari had left, Ava just stood there, rooted to the spot, the cat still in her arms, trying to figure out what had just happened. 

She truly had wanted to do something good, to end this horrible day on a positive note, but apparently that had terribly backfired. Worst of all, Miss Lance was looking at her with something in her eyes that she never thought she would ever see and that she resented with her entire being. Pity. 

Taking a deep breath, she put the cat back into the carrier and made to leave quickly, hopefully without having to talk, when Miss Lance's voice held her back. 

"You can keep her. She clearly likes you and I don't think Zari would mind."

Ava turned around, not being able to take this right now. 

"And why would you care? You don't even like cats! Or me." 

That didn't come out right. At all. Not being able to even move, she just stared at Sara, who sighed. 

"I didn't want to imply anything, really. I was just trying to be nice. After today, I think we both could use a bit of nice. It's why you did this in the first place, isn't it? To be nice?" 

Ava still just stared, having no idea how to respond to Sara talking like that. And when did she start calling her Sara, even just in her head? No, this was too confusing, she needed to get out.

"I... I need to go." 

Having no idea what else to say, she turned around again briskly, opened a portal back to her apartment and started walking towards it, pulling the carrier. When she was stepping through, she heard Sara's voice call after her, softly but audibly. 

"And I never said I don't like cats. Or you." 

Ava stopped for the fraction of a second, caught off guard, but then just walked on, not being able to deny the feelings that suddenly seemed to grow in her, feelings that she pushed down rigorously. 

This was not something she could do. Ever.

And still, it was like she could physically feel Sara's gaze on her until the portal closed. 

***

Staring after Ava, Sara sighed again. Well, that's what she got for trying to be nice for a change. It had been so surprising to see Ava as a person, a person trying to do a nice thing at that, not just an extension of the Time Bureau, that it was hard for Sara to even try and interact with her on that level, but she had still wanted to try. 

Whatever, there were more pressing matters. She tore herself away from the spot on which she was still standing, staring into the empty space where the portal had closed after Ava. 

Taking a deep breath, she started walking in the direction of Zari's room. She needed to make sure that she was okay. 

Getting there, she knocked and after Zari answered, entered the room. Not really acknowledging her, Zari just continued playing her video game as if nothing had happened, but Sara could see the wetness on her face. 

"We don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to." 

"I don't" 

"Okay. You want to play?" 

Zari paused the game and looked at her with a frown, her expression almost angry. 

"I'm good. I don't need a babysitter." 

"How about a friend?" 

She seemed to consider that for a long moment, Sara nearly giving up already, but then Zari held out the second controller. 

"I will kick your ass though." 

Sara laughed. 

"Well, you can try."

They played for a while, Zari obviously kicking Sara's ass badly. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Zari bumped her shoulder into Sara's. 

"Thank you." 

Smiling, Sara bumped back. 

"Any time."


End file.
